Kurakane Collects NAR Award in Tokyo

Ikuyasu Kurakane picked up his Grand Prize award at the NAR Grand Prix ceremony in Tokyo on Thursday.

Kurakane among the award winners in Tokyo (Pic: Keiba.co.jp)

Kurakane was honoured for becoming the first foreign jockey to ride more than 100 winners in a year in Korea and being named Seoul Racecourse Jockey of the Year.

The popular rider is based at Kochi Racetrack in Japan which falls under the auspices of NAR which administers Local Government organised racing in that country.

Kurakane rode 101 winners at Seoul in 2014 from 674 rides including the KRA Cup Classic on Samjeong Jewang, the biggest win of his time in the country. The jockey previously rode at Seoul and Busan in 2007 and 2008 , returning in 2013 after a five-year absence.

That his wins came at Seoul makes his acheivement all the more impressive and his departure means there are currently no foreign riders in the capital’s weighing room. There are four Japanese jockeys riding in the more welcoming environment of Busan.